(Mitha-neem)
The fresh curryleaf provides the distinctive flavour of South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking. Anyone who has had the good fortune to savour dosas -- thin pancakes with a spicy curryleaf-drenched filling -- will know how wonderful this herb is. It is also a feature of Cambodian, Loatian, Thai, Indonesian and Malay cuisines. Best used fresh, the leaves of this shrub or small tree have a strong curry aroma when bruised. The leaves are best added to curries at the last stage of cooking. A typical South Indian curry is made with mustard seeds, shallots and fresh curryleaf. Medicinally, the leaves and other parts of the plant are used for constipation, colic and diarrhea. Curryleaf requires a minimum temperature of 15-18C, sun or partial shade, and moist, rich soil. Due to USDA restrictions curryleaf cannot be shipped to the U.S.